First Baptist Church

First Baptist Church of Laurel, 15000 First Baptist Lane, is offering English as a Second Language and U.S. Citizenship classes through May, Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. No charge for classes. For information, call 301-725-6163..

E. Brent Snodgrass, who had been Bethlehem Steel Corp.'s regional director of public and political affairs and later established a Florida public relations firm, died April 1 of complications from dementia at his Tampa home. He was 85. Edwin Brent Snodgrass — he never used his first name while living in Baltimore — was the son of a Marion County, W.Va., deputy sheriff and a homemaker. After graduating in 1946 from Fairmont High School, he enrolled at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, W.Va., where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1948, graduating in two years.

THE DECISION OF the Howard County Planning Board last week to recommend approval of dramatic expansion plans for First Baptist Church of Guilford has upset some residents of nearby Oakridge. They fear creation of a mega-church will further snarl traffic on busy Oakland Mills and Guilford roads.Expanding the church, however, is likely to be more beneficial than critics want to acknowledge. It all depends on how well people communicate from this point.First Baptist's roots date to the turn of the century, when Guilford was a primarily African-American community of sharecroppers and agricultural workers.

Inside the hushed contours of the racetrack kitchen, deep in the cloistered, hardscrabble world of the backstretch at Laurel Park racetrack, every head was bowed. The Rev. Segundo Mir, who pastors a mostly Spanish-speaking flock at First Baptist Church of Laurel, led the 14 people in the room in prayer. "Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day, the blue sky," he began in a honey-thick baritone. The Monday evening assembly is a long tradition, a standing invitation for anyone who works at the track and is moved to attend.

By Donna W. Payne and Donna W. Payne,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | September 13, 2002

On a side avenue, just off the main street, stands the First Baptist Church of Savage. It was formed 85 years ago, on Sept. 16, 1917, when the streets were unpaved and horse-drawn carriages were more common than automobiles. "The church was started by a group of mill workers [who] worked in Savage Mill," said the Rev. Paul Viswasam, First Baptist's pastor for the past seven years. "It went through two world wars, ... and [it] went through a Depression ... and really saw everything. But, they [members]

Fred McCathorine needed a hook. Not the kind that is curved and metal. This hook is round and orange with plenty of bounce. McCathorine, the director of sports ministry for First Baptist Church of Guilford, on Columbia's eastern edge, has been coaching the First Baptist Crusaders' youth basketball program since 1987. He has found that basketball is a great way to get young men involved in the church. "Ours is an outreach program," said McCathorine, 51, a Columbia resident who is vice president of operations for Trigen Energy Corp.

By Donna W. Payne and Donna W. Payne,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | February 8, 2002

For 30 years, the Rev. John L. Wright has been preaching the Word at Columbia's First Baptist Church of Guilford. But this month, Wright is just listening. This Sunday marks Wright's 30th anniversary at First Baptist, and the church will honor him with guest speakers and celebrations. "He has been an outstanding pastor ... a father to some of the people, a brother to some of them and a son to some of the people," said Leola Dorsey, a 14-year member of the board of trustees of Howard Community College and a member of First Baptist for 62 years.

Hanson Ellsworth Fossett The Taliaferro family circle will receive friends on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. at Berry Waddy Funeral Home in Lancaster County, Virginia. The Wake will be held at First Baptist Church of Heathsville, Virginia. Services to follow Interment at First Baptist Church Cemetery in Heathsville, Virginia. A memorial in Baltimore will be announced at a later date.

On March 4, 2004, RUBY JOANHARRISON, 81, of La Plata, MD at her residence. Predeceased by her parents Jesse and Carrie Belle Strickland. Survived by her husband Joseph Harrison; sons, Michael (Carolyn), Robert, Kevin (Sherrie), Harrison; daughter Janice Sapp; sister Opal Murray; brother John Strickland; grandsons, Craig and Paul Harrison. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 7th at 2 P.M. at the First Baptist Church of La Plata, 9070 Hawthorne Road, La Plata, MD 20646. Donations may be made to First Baptist Church of La Plata.

Preaching in a makeshift sanctuary in a school auditorium, the Rev. Tyrone P. Jones IV frequently punctuates the ends of his sentences with a quick "amen. " As only the fifth pastor in the 112-year history of First Baptist Church of Guilford, Jones says he has many reasons to infuse his sermons with such affirmations. Stepping into a job held by a beloved minister for nearly 40 years is one of them. Starting a fresh chapter of church life with his new congregation by shepherding their move into a long-delayed church building is another.

First Baptist Church of Laurel, 15000 First Baptist Lane, will hold its 5th-annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 29, from noon-4 p.m. This community, family event offers games and prizes, climbing wall, inflatable slides, maze for kids, hayrides, popcorn, cotton candy, cookies and a free hot dog lunch. The festival will be held indoors if it rains. For more information, go to http://www.FBClaurel.com or call 301-725-1688.

First Baptist Church of Laurel, 15000 First Baptist Lane, is offering English as a Second Language and U.S. Citizenship classes through May, Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. No charge for classes. For information, call 301-725-6163..

Union Baptist Church, built on the rectitude of a former slave and out of the ashes of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in ceremonies Sunday that included the unveiling of a plaque on the Druid Hill Avenue building. Gay Vietzke of the National Park Service, who spoke to parishioners in the sanctuary, said that not only did the Victorian Gothic architecture of William J. Beardsley, who rebuilt much of Baltimore after the fire, deserve recognition, but the historic stature of the Rev. Dr. Harvey Johnson, who presided over the church for 50 years, and the role of the church in civil rights issues dating from the Civil War also made it worthy of the honor.

John Louis Wright, longtime pastor of the First Baptist Church of Guilford in Howard County who was an outspoken civil rights activist and former president of the state NAACP, died Thursday of complications from melanoma at St. Agnes Hospital. The Ten Hills resident, who earlier had lived in Randallstown, was 73. "I will fight against the double standard in this country and in this state, where there is still bigotry, racism and Jim Crowism. It still exists," Dr. Wright said when he was elected president in 1986 of the Maryland Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

By Janene Holzberg and Janene Holzberg,Special to The Baltimore Sun | December 20, 2009

Tonight, the star of Bethlehem will shine brightly over the little town of Savage. The 12-foot wrought iron-and-rebar creation will dangle from a crane 60 feet above First Baptist Church of Savage, guiding visitors to the congregation's outdoor re-creation of Bethlehem as it was said to be more than 2,000 years ago on the night of Jesus' birth. Those who choose to follow the "everlasting light" mentioned in the beloved Christmas carol from 1869 will discover much more than a live Nativity awaiting them at an event called "A Walk Through Bethlehem."

On December 21, 2004, HELEN C. STOCKTON of Ocean Pines, MD, formerly of Glen Burnie, beloved wife of Roy B. Stockton, devoted mother of Suzanne Di Franks and Judy Stockton, sister of Clyde Jr., Dan and Joseph Mc Call. Also survived by four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson. Funeral services were held on Thursday, December 23, 2004, at the First Baptist Church, Berlin, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to First Baptist Church, 613 Williams Street, Berlin, MD, 21811.

On July 21, 2006, JIMMIE C. Friends may call at the FAMILY OWNED MARCH FUNERAL HOME EAST, 1101 E. North Avenue, on Tuesday after 8 A.M. The family will receive friends at First Baptist Church, 525 N. Caroline St., on Wednesday at 11:30 A.M. Funeral Services will follow at 12 noon.

Hanson Ellsworth Fossett The Taliaferro family circle will receive friends on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. at Berry Waddy Funeral Home in Lancaster County, Virginia. The Wake will be held at First Baptist Church of Heathsville, Virginia. Services to follow Interment at First Baptist Church Cemetery in Heathsville, Virginia. A memorial in Baltimore will be announced at a later date.